Copying Someone Else's Work

Discussion in 'Norrathian Homeshow' started by Wizzam, Oct 12, 2017.

  1. Senya Well-Known Member

    I'm so glad you did bring this up, Wizzam. Perhaps people will start to understand that it's not okay to completely plagiarize someone's decorating work.

    Like most other decorators I've borrowed from and been inspired by other decorators. I'm sure that some decorators have walked into my places and seen evidence that I admired their work. We do have a lot of great decorators in Norrath!

    Likewise, I don't mind walking into a place and seeing a fireplace or a kitchen "appliance" that heavily resembles (or even exactly replicates) something I've done. In fact, I think that's kinda flattering. But the whole place? That's not cool. And in your case the culprit even published their plagiarized work! That's super not cool!
  2. Cheribomb Well-Known Member

    OMG Wiz! I'm so sorry that this happened. If anyone was playing four years ago then they are aware of the one time someone stole my complete guild hall design 99%. It was so exact that it took myself and another decorator whom happened to be a community manager at the time to investigate to see if they got a hold of my layout. We never could determine if they did but it was pretty exact. The hardest part for me was it happened only three weeks after I shared the design with the Homeshow.

    I had worked so hard to make it unique and different and here they were trying to pass it off to another well known decorator as their own and she recognized it and brought it to my attention. She called them out here in the forums; and still to this day that thief player still gives her grief about outing them every time they're in the game at the same time. Truly deplorable.

    To me it felt as if someone was trying to steal my voice. I'm glad you found it and talked about how you feel about it here. I think we all can be reminded of if you borrow ideas here and there that's cool or if you really like something someone has done and feel the need to copy it completely than keep it to yourself and maybe tell the original designer. But it's the bragging thing about trying to pass it off as your own that gets me the most which is just plain disrespectful to original designer period. Not flattered by it at all.

    With that said I am publicly declaring again that I might steal Senya's design for the yellow brick road from her design years ago! If I do end up stealing it; I will tell her and everyone here now that I know she's still lurking!
  3. Senya Well-Known Member

    /hugs Cheri! You've also got lots of designs that I might steal myself now that I'm playing again! You do such beautiful work. :)
  4. Cheribomb Well-Known Member

    Challenge accepted. I mean so glad you're back! Lol. Can't wait to see what goodies you have in store for us :)
  5. Wizzam Well-Known Member



    I was just talking to someone today, telling them how happy I am to see that Senya is back! I don't know you personally Senya, but your work has been such a huge inspiration to me. You are definitely one of the great decorating legends.
    Cheri, I have heard bits and pieces about someone stealing your halls design. I admit, I've stolen a few things here and there from you, but your work is flawless. Without the exact layout, there's no way I could make anything look as good as what you do. I'm really saddened to hear that the person didn't understand what they did was wrong. No one should ever be made to feel hurt by someone else doing this. Nor should they get harassed because they pointed it out.
  6. kianne Well-Known Member

    when people act like morons because they got caught out it makes them look stupid and dam right childish when the retort in a unkind evil way the best thing is to do is take screen shots & report them then block them and any one who insists on badgering you, you are the victim not them!! dont act the victim though be the fookin boss and own them by keep going and any one who knows you( any of you) and they know your in the right avoide the ******* like the plaque and keep the backs of those wrongeed covered.. thats what family does arnt we family? a decorating family?
  7. Cheribomb Well-Known Member

    Wiz; I can't come close to some of your designs! OMG, one thing I did not point out in my previous post is how happy I am to see Senya back. She was one of the original goddesses of design that I stalked/followed in the Homeshow over the years. Huge inspiration! I recently visited her guild hall because I remembered some curved stairs she did and when I was trying to do the stairs for Twelve Oaks for Shanettte; Senya's design crossed my mind. The stairs it turned out were completely different in their layout and design overall but Senya's execution was flawless!
  8. Lucus Well-Known Member

    sad to see this kinda of blatant theft of other people's creativity and design. it shows what the thieves are lacking talent, creativity and the ability to competently design.

    it's one thing to go into someone's house look at something they've made, to try an figure out how they put it together so you can figure out how to make something similar with your own customization (or in the case of a simple object like a microwave a direct copy) it's another to go in an set out to rob them not only of their creativity, talent and ability to design, but the uniqueness of their house layout.

    as has been said when you find the **** who steal your work like that ignore them and all their supporters and make sure your friends and guildies know who the person is, so if they encounter the thief they are sure to not aid the thief in any way.
    Moena, kianne, Febrith and 6 others like this.
  9. Merriel Well-Known Member

    Wiz, Senya, and Cheribomb, I think it is absolutely horrible that people stole your designs. I do 'borrow' or 'steal', whichever you prefer to call it, little idea's here and there, but I do try to give credit or at least let others know it wasn't my original idea if I can't remember who I got the idea from (I have a horrible memory and a bad habit of not writing things down that I should), and I generally try to do my own spin on things. I think it's not only rude and unkind of someone to steal an entire build like that without first asking, and then to go so far as not to even give credit is that much worse...and in Senya's case, to say no and still have them steal the idea is beyond reproachful.

    I have to completely agree with Sigrdrifa that they not only stole Senya's guild hall entrance, but then junked it up with some really awful decor that totally takes away from the lovely build. How sad that anyone should feel the need to steal someone elses designs instead of coming up with their own. I don't care how inexperienced a decorator you are, there is such a think as etiquette and that should be followed always, regardless. If you are going to use someone elses idea, at least give credit where credit is due, and if you are going to use a good portion or entire build, out of common courtesy, ask first, and if they say they don't want you to use it, show them the respect they deserve and let it go.

    It's pretty sad, however, that I am actually not surprised that there are some people who would do this sort of thing in the game. When you see the kind of conversations, however, that sometimes take place in General Chat, it leaves me in the mindset that some of these people would do anything, regardless of whom it hurts. Nothing surprises me in this game, though it does often leave me feeling disappointed that there are people who simply don't care about others.
    Moena, kianne, Febrith and 6 others like this.
  10. Ocarinah Well-Known Member

    Everyone has pretty much covered how I feel about this. The other decorator that had their work stolen was videoed by me and I am friends with the original decorator. That made me spiral into depression but your love and support helped me get out of a bad place. I have already said this before but I will not post videos of someone who has stolen too much from a house/guild hall. Even if that thief decides to make their own creation, I will not post a video tour just because there is a possibility of it being stolen as well. The person that stole from Wizzam is leader of a guild and I am pretty sure all leaders in that guild are the same person but have no proof but all of them will go on my avoid list. It is sad I have to make a list like this. If I find out I voted on a house that was stolen I will go back and remove the vote. Big big big hugs to all that have gone through this.

    Just one last thing....I tell people all the time that I am stealing stuff but I know I cannot remember names. I would never steal like this person did...if I like something that much I will ask the decorator if I can buy the layout. I would go broke tho so I only have gotten a layout from one person. She was soooooo nice about me wanting to recreate on another server and didn't charge me. I still gave her a gifty tho for being so sweet and awesome. Seriously this community is so giving and awesome and amazing I don't get why they couldn't just ask you for permission or give you credit. But to publish it? WTF. The house I copied will be published but owner of design requested it. I just need to track down rest of outfits cuz the house will be 99.99% copied (one item I will never get cuz it was a facebook promotion item and second thing will be the HUGE book at the door saying who the decorator is and a big thank you). I mean I even put in a typo that was in a book cuz I am that **** about it.

    Hopefully the more we call people out on this unacceptable behavior the less likely this will continue to happen. Hugs and <3

    P.S. The original version of Wizzam's house and the guild hall entry posted here are both WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY more amazing than the stolen versions (and the other ones that don't have pics posted for me to compare).
    Moena, kianne, Wizzam and 4 others like this.
  11. Lucus Well-Known Member

    looking at something someone made, that is like a real world object made ingame items and then figuring out how they made it and creating based off it something which is similar but not identical isn't really stealing. it's more like imitating.

    just using the screenshots on the first page, the people that took those designs then added their own horrible skills to it are thieves, but if you go into a house, see someone made a fridge, microwave or a freezer or an arrangement you examine it see how it was made then you take that knowledge and add to it and modify it till you can see some similarity that shows it was based partly on the original with alot of your own creativity added.

    on the second set of screenshots it shows that thief's lack of skill and creativity they took the entire essence of the decoration and tastelessly added to it. they didn't really deviate and add much of themselves or their creativity.

    if i'd seen those arrangements in the originals and i wanted something similar, i wouldn't use the same sofas or tables, tiles or dividers i'd put down a different assortment of plants in different positions or other decorations, i might use a rug i might not (i definitely wouldn't put in that ugly *** trophy that ruins the effect) heck i wouldn't even put it in the same house and i certainly wouldn't try to clone or imitate anything else from the house.

    the difference between stealing and drawing inspiration is, stealing is where something is almost identical, like twins, drawing inspiration though, you look at it and recognize some patterns or themes but it's more the new persons then the old's.

    the screenshots show on the first page that the 'new' are at least 80% the original author and maybe 20% the thief's - not inspiration blatant theft.

    looking at a thief's 'work' is like looking at twins, looking at an original and the one that is a creative imitation is like looking at distant relatives, you can clear see they share some features, but they are more dissimilar then similar.
    Ocarinah, Moena, Prissetta and 3 others like this.
  12. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Absolutely agree 100% with this (as they said in The Right Stuff movie: "Frickin' A, Bubba." [only they didn't say "frickin'." I believe the movie was rated "R"... ;->]). As far as stealing VIDEOS is concerned, that's even more public than doing so with housing on the leaderboards of the game itself, and imho, should be complained to directly at YouTube, who can check their logs or whatever to see who came first. :-/

    Lucus, though, hit the nail on the head, I think: if you're inspired by a design for, say, an entry room for a guild hall, groovy. Re-skin the walls, 'cause you think the default ones suck! Groovy. Put down a big carpet! Groovy. Put central seating in, 'cause that's what you have in a lobby, for a bank or hotel or whatever (doesn't have to be in a circle, though, in the exact same configuration [using the exact same furniture... >:-/]; put in rows of seats, like in an airport lobby, waiting for your plane. Put in little intimate squares of seats around small tables. Etc.). Groovy. Put light sources, other than the original default ones, on the opposite wall. Groovy. USE YOUR OWN DANG ITEMS. For cryin' out loud, at least change the colors...change the furniture for the seating. Change the lights used. Change potted plants or whatever else is in there for one of the other DOZENS of types of plants we have out there (if not hundreds, frankly). >:-/

    If you're going to steal er, be inspired by something in RL, from a RL property that has a trademark or copyright, you better sure as HELL change at least 51%, or else, including not only the name but also, frequently, the image itself. The superhero MMO City of Heroes got in a lot of trouble with Marvel and DC (and probably Darkhorse, too, what with all the Hellboy "homages" [*cough* :oops: I'd never do that! :oops: *cough*]) because all their wonderful options for costuming and body tweaking could enable folks to "replicate their favorite heroes!" Right down to the very copyrighted images themselves. :-/

    Uwk
    who hasn't always been so good...Abrahm Sappy'Yen, anyone? :oops:

    P.S. On the other hand, I usually only Publish if there's a contest or swap gun to my head ("You'd better Publish this by TODAY, Uwk... /glare"), so there's a) little chance of anyone stealing my stuff, which is pretty bizarre anyway, and b) anyone noticing too much if I borrowed some of their things... :oops: If I see something in someone's place that I do remember coming up with, it's flattering! :)

    On the other other hand, I don't always tour as much as I should, perhaps, and so haven't necessarily seen places I've fallen in love with that I think I could ever do on my own, even with a layout (Santagria, I hear ya!)... Plus, I've never been one for the House Beautiful-type stuff that the rest of y'all are so good at, so while I can appreciate it, like a fine da Vinci or van Gogh, I just nod at it, smile, and pray my paint-by-numbers things stay in the lines. :D --U.
    Ocarinah, Lucus, Moena and 2 others like this.
  13. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Oh, final thought (at least for now ;->): don't take your original stuff down in a huff over anything like this. If you do, the terrorists er, thieves win, since their tacky no-talent stuff is all that's left of that design then. :-/

    Uwk
    Ocarinah, Lucus, Moena and 5 others like this.
  14. Wizzam Well-Known Member



    This. So much this!!!!
    Someone told me they took their stuff off of the leaderboards, and toon apart the house that was stolen from then. Trust me, I know how it feels and you want to just rip it apart to stop all of the drama. But it won't stop. It will just allow them to keep going.
    Ocarinah, Lucus, Moena and 4 others like this.
  15. Faeonara Well-Known Member

    I was motivated to go visit the house of the decorator " forger" who was blatant enough to flaunt her lack of ethics when it comes to intellectual property ownership in such a public fashion .
    I had to see for myself just what they had been up to and lo and behold ,though they had neither the skill or wit to fully reproduce Wizzam's delightful home they had in fact not only stolen the essence of her ideas but had indeed downright copied at least two rooms in sufficient detail as to leave no doubt in anyone's mind that it was a complete forgery .
    As a fellow decorator and member of the community here , I felt it was incumbent on me to notify the perpetrator of this fiasco exactly how I felt about the state of affairs in no uncertain terms . To that end I fired off a strongly worded letter urging that the house be unpublished at once and suggesting a public apology to Wizzam via the forum here was the very least that they could do to attempt some redemption for this glaring lack of common manners .
    Sadly, given that they had the temerity to commit this faux pas in the first place I rather doubt such an apology will be forthcoming any time soon . I do urge the decorating community to ostracize this person until some form of restitution is made to Wizzam's satisfaction.
    Ocarinah, Moena, Prissetta and 6 others like this.
  16. Wizzam Well-Known Member



    So many big words! lol <3
    You are absolutely adorable, thank you for your support Fae!
    Thank you all for your support! I really don't like to shame other people or put them on the spot, but this person has the ability to do this again to someone else and that's not okay. If it was just an isolated thing I would've taken it quietly.
    You all are so wonderful!
    Ocarinah, Spextasy, Moena and 5 others like this.
  17. Kokorobosoi Active Member

    This is just awful. I have no words.

    I once saw a guild hall that I loved and reached out to the decorator, who was kind enough to share. With the understanding that it was a personal gh, no members but family. When we decided to open the gh to another few players....I absolutely dismantled the layout. There has to be some decency and respect, even in a virual world. I just cant believe someone was this..... repugnant.

    smh. ive got the pitchforks, who has the tar and the feathers?
  18. Sigrdrifa EQ2 Wiki Author

    It occurs to me that a good idea might be to put a largish player-authored book somewhere near the front door, and in it list the names of the people from whom you have learned and/or borrowed. I.E., give credit where credit is due!
    Ocarinah, Moena, Merriel and 3 others like this.
  19. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Eee, gods, then I'd have to remember where I got everything from... :-/

    Bits and bobs are one thing; whole layouts are another. If in the book you put down, "This layout originally designed by [Original Designer], with occasional tweaks by [New Hall Owner]," that would work. :)

    Uwk
    Ocarinah, Moena, santargria and 3 others like this.
  20. Sapphirius Well-Known Member

    Wow. I'm sorry this happened to you, and it's not the first time it's happened. I even had a design of mine stolen, an outdoor bar and grill that I designed for a client... and I'm kind of known for being generous with my layouts. I have a whole list of reskins that I'll give to anyone who wants them.

    It's one thing to replicate something that inspires you, like a material combination you really liked. It's something else entirely to copy an entire house and just change a few things here or there without giving credit to the original creator. While I do think that imitation is the highest form of flattery, I can understand why you're so upset.